The Herd with Colin Cowherd - NBA mobility, Kawhi Leonard, USWNT, and Ben Simmons

Episode Date: July 3, 2019

Colin talks about how the NBA doesn't get the credit it deserves for its mobility, more on where Kawhi Leonard might go, and how he feels about Ben Simmons new contract with the 76ers. Colin also defends the USWNT while saying people are overreacting. Guests include Nick Wright, Chris Broussard Rob Parker, and Jared Dudley. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to her, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

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Joy Taylor is joining me. It is a great day. We are on the eve of the 4th of July in America. Very, very fun. I'm wearing a little red, white, and blue today. And I'll probably wear it tomorrow as well. It's my favorite holiday, Joy. I've said that for years.

My favorite holiday. It is your favorite holiday. Stuff gets blown up. I love it. It's beer. Do you participate in the fireworks? Oh, absolutely. I love fireworks.

Like you actually set off fireworks. Oh, yes. In my driveway, I've done horribly inappropriate things with explosives. I don't do well with fire. I set my hair on fire once, so I felt like that was a sign. All fire-related activities. Well, it's great to have you in a Wednesday. Folks, sometimes, and I'm guilty of this, there's a topic, and I find myself, I'll use this term. Oh, I'm looking through the wrong end of the telescope. I want to give you a fact, and I think even though you know it, I want to remind you of it. Since 2010, what year is it?

2019? Since 2010, seven different teams have won an NBA title. Just let that soak in as you drive around the country, or as you're watching. Seven, Lakers, MAVs, heat, spurs, warriors, calves, raptors. Folks, player of movement creates parity. You're looking through the wrong end of the telescope. We have players now, multiple players, star players, playing with championship rosters who leave them. Kewin Leonard is playing for maybe the best GM and the best roster in the league.

I am out of here. What? Kevin Durant with a dynasty. I'm going to take less. I'm out of here. What? Jimmy Butler with a championship contending team in Philadelphia. I'm going to go to Miami and play for a seventh seed.

What are they doing? The mobility ends the possibility in this instance of repeat champions and dynasties. This is the most different champions we've had since the 70s. And the critics of the NBA are simply looking, as I would call it, through the wrong end of the telescope. Now, I want you to think about mobility. We have all these stars leaving championship teams and leaving contenders for less qualified teams, less proven front offices, less proven owners. Because this is who we are in America.

This is our DNA. We don't demand that you have milk in our grocery stores of the 208 countries. A third of them just people go into the grocery store hoping for milk. We demand we have soy and 1% and skim and whole and almond and oat. In fact, I am so needy. I have refused to go to grocery stores that don't have the kind of milks, plural, that I have, that I want. Things in this country that are taboo. You give us choices, they'll become norms.

Dating online. Ooh, yeah, you're going to meet a guy you just met online. It is now an industry. Getting into a stranger's car. That's what your mom warned you about. Stranger drove up to my house last night. Get in. All right.

Match and license plate on Uber matches. I just get into a stranger's car. Taboo! It's the only way I travel. Because in America, we demand choices. And when you give them to talented people, oh, my friends, they take them. Even for less money, even leaving better coworkers, even leaving better management and ownership. Kauai Leonard's going to probably leave Toronto.

That's the best GM of the sport. Kevin Durant just left Golden State. That's the dynasty in the sport. Jimmy Butler just left the Philadelphia team that's got like seven good players. I mean, Joy and I last year were like, I think Philadelphia has the most good players after Golden State. He's like, well, I want to go play for a seventh seed. They have nice water down there, no tax. This is what we are.

Let me take you now, you fear mongers, to a time in America when we did not have mobility. And players did not have options. The Boston Celtics, Bill Russell, didn't have the option to leave. They won 11 titles in 13 years. In college basketball, UCLA, players couldn't transfer. They won 10 titles in 12 years, an 88 game winning streak. The transfer portal creates parity. Kentucky's landing all the good players.

Yes, and they leave after one year, ready or not. Duke got the three best players in high school basketball and didn't win a title because they weren't quite ready to dominate college basketball. It's all fearmongering. People are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. The Montreal Canadians dominated hockey in the 60s 70s. Nobody dominates it now. Eight seeds beat one seeds.

Canadian teams struggle with American teams. There are no Celtics. There is no UCLA basketball. It's nonsense. When I go to a grocery store in America, I not only look and seek for the kind of milk I like, I demand it or I don't go to the grocery store. And when you give people options in America, they will take them. We fight so hard for these freedoms.

We fight so hard for these options. That's stuff that's taboo. These are now societal norms. Kevin Durant, one year into the Warriors, all the fear mongering. One year in, he was already restless. He was already... Kyrie Irving hit the game winning shot, play with the blonde. Two months later, he was already restless.

Kauai, Toronto, one year, already restless. Take a deep breath. Kauai to the Lakers. It ain't going to last nine years. Six. Four. I don't know if it will last two. Player movement creates parity.

And for an individual, you and I, Kevin Durant, went from Mr. Underreliable to the game's best player because of movement. In three weeks, look at how interesting the Pelicans have become. Look at the Utah Jazz in five days. You see it as a negative. I see it as an absolute defining positive. Since 2010, the NBA has seven different champions. The Celtics without mobility.

11 titles, 13 years. All right, here's a headline this morning. Lakers think they're leading on Kauai Leonard. I said yesterday, that's not what I'm hearing. I'm hearing everybody's got a shot, but Toronto and the Lakers have the lead and it's slight. Now, this is something, and Kauai is different, but I want to remind you,

everybody that takes meetings almost always leaves. Chris Bosch had a meeting with Miami. LeBron Gordon Hayward had a meeting with Boston. Dwight Howard had a meeting. DeMarcus Aldridge had a meeting with the Spurs. Jimmy Butler went down, flew himself to Miami. Kimball Walker was in Boston. Kauai Leonard is taking meetings.

That's essentially aggressively flirting. Paul George did not take a meeting, stayed in OKC. Clay Thompson did not have a meeting, stayed in San Francisco. Chris Paul last year, player option, did not have a meeting. He stayed. You do not sign up for Match.com when you're in a happy marriage. That doesn't mean you're miserable. That doesn't mean your life is awful. But what would Kauai Leonard learn from a call to Magic Johnson and a steak dinner with Jerry West that his own people couldn't decipher?

I looked in my life this morning as I drove to work, and I thought to myself, oh, I'm four for four. Every time I took a meeting, I left. Tampa, Portland, a meeting with ESPN, at a meeting with FS1. And in all four cases, I was offered significantly more money, except FS1. I'm not leaving here. But in the other ones, I was offered jobs to stay, and I wasn't miserable, and I was offered more money. but I took a meeting. And when you take a meeting, that generally means

just something is missing. Bryce Harper took a meeting. He left. Mani Machado and baseball took a meeting. He left. You know who didn't take a meeting? Mike Trout. He's got everything he wants in Anaheim.

I don't think there's a ton missing in Toronto. I really don't. Owner, GM, players, culture, scouting, But it is, let's be honest, the one team in the NBA in another country. Now, the country is close. We can see it from here. And it's smart. And it's diverse.

And it's kind of wealthy. And it's global. But you turn on the TV and you see their shows and not our shows. And we've had several players say that it is a little different when you play in Canada. Steve Nash, by the way, Canadian wants. turned down the rafters. Vancouver, one of my favorite cities. In fact, probably my favorite city in North America

kept the grizzlies for about an hour. So I'm just saying, when you have a meeting, it doesn't mean you're miserable, but it generally means, A, there is something missing, and B, you generally leave. All right, good stuff today. Absolutely packed. I got to tell you.

You know how Kevin Durant was kind of restless from day one in Golden State? Now, very quickly after the first one, you're hearing a bunch of stuff. Now, it felt like initially a little bit of a nuisance or a headache for Golden State. You had to kind of manage it constantly. Did it end up being a huge strength for the Warriors? That herdline news of joy, all coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd, weekdays, and noon east. 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

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I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

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Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted. at this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down. the court and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It is great to

have you in on a Wednesday on the eve of 4th of July. Congrats. The United States Women's National Team beat England, a dramatic, crazy wild, even at times poorly officiated World Cup match, but each team got hosed on one call. United States, you

sip that tea, Alex Morgan. That was awesome. Joy's heardline news in a couple of minutes. So you know, this is the way it is, is I remember reading something about this. America builds up celebrities and loves to tear them down. You know, you've heard that cliche before. We love to build up celebrities and then poke holes in him. We love LeBron early.

Then he got great. Now he want to poke holes in him. We want to bury the New England Patriots. But they just, as long as they've got Brady, who's a great player willing to take a pay cut and is totally committed to winning, they're fine. The Warriors have Steph Curry, who is, a great teammate, totally committed to winning, I'll recruit a guy who's better than me.

It's a huge advantage. Remember, players don't always choose winning as their top priority. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were winning. They chose being the man. Carmelo Anthony was winning in Denver. He wanted to play in New York. He chose another city. Jimmy Butler was winning in Philadelphia.

He just chose Miami. Not all great players prioritized winning. Tim Duncan did in San Antonio, allowing the spurs to get more. more good players. He took pay cuts. Tom Brady is prioritized winning. Pay cut. Steph Curry is prioritized winning. I'll go put my arms around and recruit Kevin Durant. Most guys wouldn't recruit a guy that's better than them. Okay. So this is a big advantage for New England. That's why I keep saying, don't bury the dynasty yet when your top player is your culture builder and he has prioritized winning. A lot of people prioritize a city, a teammate, a coast,

money. I get it. Those are important things, too. But I'll just say this about the Warriors. You're all burying them. And you know what they've done in the last three days? They got Willie Colley Stein, a young big who runs the court well, 12 points, 8 rebounds, who'll be on his best behavior for nothing. They signed Kvon Lutie, a young big, for nothing. They got DeAngelo Russell in essentially a swap sign and trade for Andre Igwadala. nothing. They added three young, talented pieces and went to Target and got target discount prices for it. I'm watching all these teams overpay for average players.

DeAngelo Russell was an all-star in a number two pick. Willie Colley Stein's a 12-8 guy in a number six pick. Add that the Steph, Clay, Draymond, and a great head coach and Kvon-Luny, they're not going anywhere. If Kauai doesn't choose the Lakers, I'm taking Golden State to win it again next year. They got Willie Colley Stein and Kayvon Looney. They're two bigs for nothing to go along. And by the way, I read a story this morning on Clay.

He got his surgery two days ago. They say it's five to seven months. So I'll pick the middle number, six. That means he'll be ready January 1st. So January 1st, he's back. And let's keep him four weeks after that to get into game shape. February 3rd. The trading deadline.

So they could move DeAngelo. Or, by the way, have three guards, three All-Star Level guards. We're all looking. And the other thing to remember here is that Kevin Durant is a very restless soul. That's fine. He's a little bit of a wanderer. We had people tell us that, like his second year in. The advantage to that that the warriors knew he was a wanderer, they didn't open the door one day and the husband left. Where did my wife go? She left you. No heads up. We had a party last night. He was restless. And so they were kind of ready for this. This is Bob Myers. This is Steve Kerr, if you were asking them privately, in fact, I remember about four months ago,

I'm doing a show, and I brought on Marcus Thompson, and he's like, oh, yeah, they think he's leaving. And I'm like, well, I don't. And he's like, oh, they've come to terms with it. So when you're with a flurter and you're with somebody that's restless, it doesn't really catch you off guard. Just think three days ago, Kevin Durant left, three days ago, walked out the door. And in three days, if you don't think they didn't have a plan, they've signed an all-star guard, a very young, productive big

and got Kvon Looney wedged into a contract that's about 70% his value. If Kauai doesn't sign with the Lakers, this team's win in the championship. This team's 38 and 5. Without Kevin Durant, they just upgraded at center. So, you know, it's when Kevin Durant's restless, wandering nature, kind of actually

was a bit of a bit of a bit of, an advantage. As long as the Spurs had Duncan, Patriots had Brady, Warriors have Steph, a star that is prioritized winning, you can sell that stock. I'll still buy it. Joy with the News.

Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. And for the first time that, I mean, in recent memory, the Warriors will be playing with really no expectations. I mean, we expect. expect them to be a playoff team, but nobody expects him to win a championship.

So they're just playing with House Money right now. Clay's, Clay is going to, according to the story I read yesterday, January, first week at January, he's ready to now start getting in cardio shape and play. So basically, he'll be ready like mid-February. He'll be in full form. Isn't that kind of when you're hoping everybody is ready? Right. Right.

I mean, LeBron historically takes January off. It's going to be something. What a game yesterday, huh? The U.S. Women's National Team earned a spot in their third consecutive. World Cup final. That game was just nothing but craziness. It was amazing. Two-one win over England. An early goal by Kristen Press opened up the scoring on the day and Golden Boot leader Alex Morgan scored the game winner in the 31st minute

to give the U.S. the win following the goal. She celebrated by pretending to sip on some tea with a pinky out. She was also celebrating her 30th birthday, which she said she paid no attention to because birthdays come every year and World Cup is a little more rare, which is a good mentality to have. nice birthday present for her. This is a great goal, by the way. It's a perfect kick and a perfect.

I mean, that's a, this is why they're the best team in the world. I mean, it's picture, picture perfect offense. You could not, this is exactly if Brazil's men did that. That's like, that's how soccer's play. Well, people were very upset over her celebration. That was very, it was very, it was very offensive. For one second. I mean, I don't even want to get it to do.

It's a silly. But the big story before the game was Megan Rapino being sidelines. She was not in the starting lineup. Kristen Press, who scored the first goal was in for her. It was later reported to be a hamstring injury. Yeah. And after the game, she said, I'm expecting to be fit for the final day and ready to go. It's getting better.

Also, obviously, big save by Alyssa Neher. Oh, Lord. Lord. Yeah. Hold your breath on that one. God, that was great. The game had everything. It had a bad call, a makeup call.

And I would say this for England. Handled the loss with Grace. They really did. They were... I honestly think more than France. I thought England gave them the biggest fight yet. I thought England was... Yeah, it was a beautiful game.

It was a just absolutely great American sport. Yeah. So Jared Dudley just agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal to join LeBron, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers, and he's already making some bold comparisons. And he was asked about the potential effect of Kauai Leonard, choosing to join the Lakers as his next destination. It compares to the heat, but a little bit more on steroids.

And the reason why I say that is because you arguably have three of the top five best players. And so I think that Wade and Blan were considered. I think Boss was a little bit on the outs. Now, if the Lakers get Kauai, like, yes, you're right there. You have all the talent. I think it's good for the league when it comes to the revenue. You need the Lakers and Nicks good. Obviously, the NICS couldn't get it done.

So we'll see if, you know, a Kauai decides, man, but it's just better for the league. By the way, Jared Dudley will be joining us today. Oh, really? Yeah. Well, that's right. So here's the thing. He's actually right. I wouldn't use the word steroids to describe anything sports-related.

But he is right, though. I was in Miami when the big three were there. So I experienced the mountain of hate that was just piled on Miami. And granted, they did not help themselves with the not one, not two, not three, all of that. But it was endless storylines, endless soap opera, so fun to cover for everyone, whether you hate them or love them. So, while I really hope this doesn't happen because it will give another team a chance to be interesting in the Clippers or the Raptors, it will be an all-time assembly of really guys who are never villains in their career. Kauai has never been except for maybe to Spurs fans.

Anthony Davis certainly is not a polarizing player. LeBron is polarizing, but overall is considered one of the greatest all-time superstars ever. Find me any successful person in America who's not polarizing. Like I think it's a badge of honor. I think they're all villains in small pockets of the country. Right. And it's like, get over it. They have, they're great.

But this with the Lakers. Oh, good Lord. I mean, it would be. Chaos. It will be chaos. It will be anarchy. I told you, I kind of talk myself into it now. Sticking with the Kauai sweepstakes, the

Raptors ambassador, Drake, is that we're describing him now, is pulling his own way and trying to keep Kauai in Toronto. According to Mark Stein of the New York Times, he reports the Raptors haven't backed off one centimeter, and Drake is said to be mounting his own recruiting campaign on top of whatever the freshly minted champions are doing to convince him to stay. Yeah, that makes sense.

You got to pull out all the stops. It's recruiting time. And I don't know. I think the person or the team that has the last meeting has the best chance. You think about it. Like if you're going around and see different places and stuff, like the last thing in your mind is what you remember most distinctly. And if they have a good pitch and they pull at the whatever emotional heartstrings you have

and Drake is there. Like I do think that the Raptors have the, I think it's between the Lakers and the Raptors. I think they have the best chance. I mean, if it's leaning towards the Lakers, then that, like, the clippers are out of it. If I believe, if I was a gambler, I'd take the Lakers won Raptors 2. Yeah. That's what I would take this morning. Well, not all the stops.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lying news. You know, Nick Wright does not like the Warriors. He finds them arrogant and distasteful, but maybe it's because I live on the West Coast. I don't know. but I love

Willie Colley Stein for free Kvon Looney on a discount DeAngelo Russell via the Coward Global Satellite Network look at the beautifully quaffed I mean look at him it's just terrific

Okay Just unbelievable Willie Collie Stein Colin I love it Willie Collie Stein Oh yeah You've always loved him

You've been real high on Willie Collie Stein for years Staying up late watching those league past Kings games loving his switchability on defense. I apologize. I don't want to hijack the segment here. But in our private conversations, if there's one thing I remember, it's all the times you've mentioned Willie Collie Stein and his possible contributions to a contender.

But go ahead. Where were you? I wasn't even going to talk about your hair. You are so tanned right now off vacation with your beautiful family. I feel like I'm talking to almost like a pop culture icon. All right, let's go to this. Thank you. I said, everybody, we're looking through the wrong end of the telescope. seven different NBA champs since 2010.

When we didn't have player mobility, the Celtics won 11 and 13 years, when college basketball didn't have a transfer portal, UCLA won 10 and 12 years. I think the league is fine. I'm not bothered by Kauai taking meetings. I mean, what do you make of the whole Kauai situation? All right, so I think your point about since the super team era has begun,

how many different champions we've had is a startling one. back two years earlier. The original super team was KG Pierce Ray Allen in 2008. That super team beget the next super team, LeBron and Miami, which then beget the next super team, which is the Golden State Warriors, which could then beget this super team. So from 08 to now, you're right, eight different champions, if we take it back two more years. Now, I have to be consistent here, though. I do like the air of suspense. I did not like knowing the end of the story before I started the book, and that's how I felt each of the last three years, even though this year the book ended way different than I would have expected. I think what is best for the NBA is for Kawhi

Leonard to go to Toronto or the Clippers. If he does that, you have nine teams that credibly believe they can win the title. So for the league, for the entire fan base to give us a feeling we ever really had in this league since maybe 2005, 2006, that would be the best. But for Kauai, the best thing is to go to the place he originally asked to be traded to that now also employs the best player ever and the best big currently in the game. For Kauai, he will not get the type of blowback Kevin Durant got because the Lakers didn't just knock his team out of the playoffs.

he's already won a championship. He's not in the same spot KD is. So as a fan, I think what's best for the league is he stays in Toronto or goes to the clippers. For Kauai, it's hard to construct the argument why he wouldn't go to the Lakers and go win two, three, four championship. I think if, you know, it's funny, LeBron, I always said that Magic saved the league with Bird, Michael made it global and LeBron made it mobile. Now, LeBron, of all those players, got heat for player mobility.

He created, quote, a spectacle. I didn't think it was a spectacle. Many did by the Boys and Girls Club check and all that stuff, the decision. Doesn't Kauai sort of validate LeBron? Like the first person to create anything always gets blowback. Politician historical figure. The first person to challenge authority. So LeBron was the first person, gets crushed for.

court, Kauai's making a spectacle. It's three days. He runs the world. I'm on my phone all day. Doesn't a decision, even Kauai validate LeBron? This whole era does, this entire decade. At the time, people thought that the decision ruined LeBron's image and ended Maverick Carter's career. Flash forward a decade. Maverick Carter's a mogul and his own right in the business world. LeBron's en route to being a billionaire is already the greatest player of all time. And if you don't think that yet, talk to me in a couple years when he's got a couple more rings. Like, no, it made it to where not only do players have power, but where Jimmy Butler can turn down $190 million and we don't bat an eye. It is to where Kevin Durant coming off

a pop to killies can turn down nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. to go to Brooklyn and we say, oh, yeah, that makes sense. We are here to watch the athletes. Owners can be incompetent. Owners can be cheap. Owners can have their own issues. They never should have had the power. They always did.

LeBron changed it all. That is as much as anything on the court, his and his groups lasting legacy, and it is the tide that has raised all boats. When we have a world where to buy it, Tobias Harris, a nice player, and Chris Middleton, a nice player, just signed for a combined third of a billion dollars. That does not happen without the interest generated by the decision, that original super team in Miami, and everything that's happened in this past decade.

Yeah, it's like Moneyball. Everybody banged on Moneyball. Billy Bean got crucified. If you don't have analytics now, you're a laughing stock in the sport. The first person to do anything to challenge you. authority and a culture gets blowback and everybody coppers copies not long after that. Colin, you're out just real quick, you're out on the West Coast. There's a word for this. They're disruptors. Yes. If you're a disruptor, people are afraid of you. They are threatened by you

and they try to crush you. That's what the entrenched agent media team power structure tried to do to Rich Paul and Maverick. They couldn't do it to LeBron because he's on the court. That's what they tried to do to those guys, and they had to get through it to the other side. And now we are now in an era where everyone is embracing or at least has to begrudgingly embrace what it's become. I like bravado. I've said this before. My favorite college football teams of all time were the Miami Hurricanes with Jimmy Johnson and USC with Pete Carroll. And they had a lot of bravado and a lot of chest puffing.

Alabama to me is great, but boring. I am okay with a little bravado. And in soccer, where you rarely score, and the World Cups every four years, I'm okay with stuff. What do you make of this? The women are arrogant. What do you make of these claims?

Okay. All right, first of all, no one is actually bothered by this except for Pierce Morgan, and Pierce Morgan, zip it. No one's cared what you have to say for seven years. But for the people pretending, I love this,

the act like you've been there before in an event that happens two and a half times a decade. But set that aside, everyone is just concerned trolling. Oh, what about my little kids? I've said this you before, I will say it again. Here's what you say to your little kids that now want to rip their shirt off or celebrate or mock their opponent after they score a goal. Listen, sweetheart, here's the rules. When your games are on Fox watched by 40 million people do whatever you want, As long as your games are at 8.30 in the morning on field seven and there's orange slices

involved, show some decorum. It's simple. They're parenting 101 done. This is great. And by the way, the targeted needle celebration, I love even more. I wish more NFL teams would bring this out where you're going after your specific opponent, not just your own little dance move. And I love that we did it to England. And I know, Colin, your wonderful late mother is British, so I hope you don't take this the wrong way. But England, you've had to hold this L for 240 years. Tomorrow's July 4th in this country. We've been whooping you via sea, via land, and now in your sport, your sport, you got to hold this L, England.

Thank you, Alex Morgan. Thank you. You know, I'm just, I'm so happy for the new Nick Wright. I just look at you. Thank you. Well, if you're real happy for me, Colin, that help me make a little more. money and bet with me with your ridiculous the Warriors can win the title next year thing. Clay's like you.

The Warriors, yeah, Willie Colley Stein, Kavana, Luni, that incredible tandem. It's a ludicrous take. They'll be fine. They'll be a good team. There ain't going to win no title next year and you know it. Nick Wright, have a great fourth with your family. Good. You too, man.

All right, good seeing you, bud. Yeah, it is, it is, whenever I hear this, what about my kids? You had them. They're your kids. That's not my problem. I mean, I don't know why it would ever be Alex Morgan's responsibility to raise your children, but I don't think she signed up for that. The thing about kids, it's fun to make them, you got to raise them.

So don't ask me about your kids. That's your problem. You had them. You had a glass of wine with a young lady. You married her. You had kids. It's up to you now. I'm not interested in how you raise them.

Lord, what about my kids? What about them? I don't even like kids except my own, mostly. Be honest with you. All right, coming up next. You know I love Ben Simmons. I'm into Ben Simmons. I'm a Ben Simmons guy.

And I've tried to come around on the Philadelphia Eagles, and I know the city hates me. But Philadelphia, you got to go back to the Lakers and look how they did it with magic. Because I don't understand what you're doing here. I love Ben Simmons. But this contract, okay, I'll just, I'll address this next. And you know Philadelphia, I'm a loving, caring sports fan. I've come around on the Eagles. Something doesn't make sense to me, and I'll explain that coming up next.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show,

I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42.

A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves. I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying.

He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back. You know, I've said for years, don't try to get happier than happy. Like if you said to somebody, you know, when you're about to die, how was your life? I was happy all the time. That's good. If you can be happy, don't try to get happier.

The other thing, and I try to live, by that. Like don't, if I have a good day, I don't have to have a great day every day. That's not realistic. The other thing I kind of live by is I'm not trying to find perfect people. Like when you get into a relationship, nobody's perfect. I know when you date somebody for six months, everybody thinks everybody's perfect, but everybody's got liabilities. Don't try to change them. Just kind of try to compliment the ying for the yank. Find what you do well, what they don't do well. You're not going to find a perfect partner. So Ben Simmons plays for the six. and I love his game. The kid's 22 years old. It gives you 17 points,

nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and 55% from the floor. He's unbelievable. At 22 years old, and he's a very good defender. He's got vision like I've never seen. He's a 6-10 point. But you're all trying to make him a perfect player. What about his jumper? He's never going to be a great shooter. So stop it. Surround him with great shooters. Take the gifts God gave him or whoever gives you, though. those gifts. Take the gifts and stop trying to create the perfect partner. This is why I don't get the contract yesterday. He got a five-year $170 million deal. I would love that, except for the fact he's top three in the NBA getting the ball to shooters, and you've given up eight of them

in two years. In the last two and a half years, the Sixers have had eight shooters. You've given them all up. Marco Bellanelli, Landry Shamit, J.J. Reddick, Dario Sarich, Wilson Chandler, Robert Covington, Elia Sova, and Jimmy Butler, all guys he would work perfectly with. And instead, you got Al Horford, who clogs the lane, which is the one problem. And you sign him to a long-term deal. So you got this player who's got the ball all the time, like the quarterback of your team. He's the James Harden. He's got the ball all the time.

He works great getting the ball with shooters. And you've gotten rid of all your shooters. And he also is fantastic if you keep the lane clear because he finishes at the rim. Oh, no, you just went and got more guys to clog up the middle. Like the Lakers with Magic Johnson figured it out. Magic's the second third best player I've ever seen. But Magic was an average defender and was never a great shooter. Magic's most famous shot was a hook shot against the Celtics down the lane.

So what do the Lakers do? They surrounded Magic with shooters. and they always had a rim protector because guys got past Magic. He was such a massively big point guard. These tiny guys could get around Magic. They were quicker. He was never a quick guy. He ran the court, but Magic was never super quick.

So little guys would get around him. That was okay. And it had a rim protector. And then Magic could get the rebound. Kareem outlet to Magic. And Magic was off to the races. Byron Scott that side. James Worthy to the left.

The Lakers didn't try to make magic perfect. They took his gifts. six, nine and a half, giving, could see the court better than anybody ever. Like the Wayne Gretzky in hockey just saw things nobody else saw. And the Lakers are like, okay, he's imperfect. He's not a great defender. So we will make sure that we get Michael Cooper on the team. Why?

Because Michael Cooper was a great defender who could shoot. So magic doesn't have the best player. So this is what the Warriors did with Steph Curry. The Warriors are like, Steph's kind of a bad defender. So we're going to make sure that we get a very tall, six, seven, two guard named Clayton. Thompson, who's a great defender, and add Draymond Green, and and Andre Iguadala. Why? Because they're not trying to make Steph a great defender. They love his offense. It's a gift from God. He shoots from the parking lot, and they're not trying to make him perfect.

And so they're like, okay, we'll surround him with good defenders so he can concentrate in his offense. By the way, the New England Patriots don't go out very often, especially in the last four years as Tom Brady has aged and get speed receivers. They get slot guys. They're not demanding Tom. Throw the ball deep better. It's like, nah, he don't really do that. Tom's great on intermediates and in. So they get him tight ends and they get him slot receivers and they get him running backs who can catch. New England takes what Tom gives them,

senses what he doesn't do well, his liabilities. And they don't try to perfect it. They just build around it. The Warriors build around Steph's bad defense. Philadelphia, hey, listen, we got eight shooters and you're great getting him the ball, but you know what? No. We're going to trade all of them.

Clog the middle of the lane up. You better get better at that shooting thing. You're going to sign him to that contract. You better figure out what he does well. Because what he does well, he's great at. He's absolutely unbelievable. This kid is an all-time talent. Get it and build around what he doesn't do instead of trying to perfect your partner.

There are no perfect players and there are no perfect spouses and mates. It doesn't work that way. There's no perfect friends. All right. My soapbox. Lord. You know, it's funny this morning I was sitting down. I'm like, God, they've given up like three shooters.

I started writing down all the shooters on a piece of paper. And I'm like, hell, they've given up eight guys who can shoot. It is admittedly a strange strategy. It's odd. Let's just get taller. By the way, what are they doing in the draft? They went and got the best defensive player in the draft who can't shoot. So they've gotten bigger and let the shooters all go.

When you have one of the great, you have the Magic Johnson of my lifetime, really a very, a six. 10 point guard. This is not the way. The man upstairs who creates us, he doesn't, he literally, this is what the man upstairs says with basketball players. It's 6.5, that's as tall as I'm going to allow you to be to be a point guard. And then a couple guys slipped through. Magic and Ben

Simmons like slip through and they're like, oh, they're like centers. No, they're point guards. All right. Take that and just like thank the heavens. Thank you, thank you. 610 guard. And just build around that. It's crazy talk. All right. Chris Brousaw, Rob Parker. Jared

the newest Lakers going to stop by our show today. And I'll support Alex Morgan more. Love her. Love her. Car shopping can be confusing. Terms like dealer price and list price and invoice. True car makes it really, really simple. Go to Truecar.com.

New or used car. See what other people pay for the car you want. You recognize a good price. You see the fees. You see the accessories. And you know the price going in. I saved three grand, my family did. Last time we bought a truck.

Truecar.com. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite

therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys?

This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, mom, I'm a one. I want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the Iheart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the Chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines.

I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, inside American soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. wherever you get your podcast. Oh, here we go.

Loaded on 80 Wednesday. This live in L.A. is the herd, wherever you may be. However you may be listening. High Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio FS1, Jared Dudley, final hour of the show. Newish Laker will join us. Good dude. So, story came out yesterday. Joy Taylor is joining me.

There have been a lot of rumors going on in the NBA. The one I never bought, and I said it during the time, I didn't buy Kyrie to the Lakers for like a million reasons. He's from New Jersey. I was told very early by an NBA player. He's going to New Jersey. So I never bought the Kyrie LeBron thing. A story came out yesterday, Joy. It's interesting.

LeBron never recruited him. They spoke, but Loran never recruited him. And people would say, well, why? They don't like each other. No, no. This is where LeBron's very smart. And Michael Jordan would do this. remember most of you didn't watch Michael Jordan. You just read about them or you see the

YouTube, especially if you're under 33 years old. You didn't watch a lot of Jordan. Michael Jordan was very good at picking his spots. Michael Jordan's head would steam twice a game. Like Michael would give you like seven minutes of relentless. But Michael would also sit back, let Scotty take over, pick his spots. He was very, very smart about that. And LeBron's gotten very smart about this. Why? I'll make a prediction. My first prediction was Kyrie will not be a Laker. My second prediction is Kyle Corver will not be a Laker. They're defensive liabilities.

You get to the playoffs, matchups, six-game series, seven-game series. They're liabilities. Who is LeBron actively recruiting that we know? Anthony Davis, great defender. Reportedly, according to a story this morning, Kauai Leonard. By the way, who did he want the Lakers to keep? Kyle Kuzma.

By the way, who did he befriend last year? Rondo. Because LeBron knows he's only got so many minutes on these legs. So if you've got Javeil McGee, who I believe is going to come back, and Anthony Davis, LeBron never has to protect the rim. If he has Kyle Kuzma and Kauai Leonard, great wing defenders, he never has to take the best wing. If he's got Rondo at the point guard, he never.

has to guard the best guard. LeBron is befriending and recruiting guys who can play both ends. I don't think Kyle Kover's going to land here. I've heard stories about it. I don't think he will. And my takeaway is because LeBron doesn't, he's been in this league long enough. He's only got so many minutes on these legs. He wants to use those minutes on the offensive end.

That's where he wants to control it. And so I never bought the Kyrie Irving situation. And I think from what I hear, Rondo and Javelle McGee and Cozma will be the only three Lakers back. Do you think it's a coincidence? They're all very good defenders. One a rim defender, one a wing defender, and one a back court defender. And I think it's very smart. I think LeBron is picking his spots.

Anybody that is a defensive liability do not buy the story that LeBron is really interested in him. He called Kyrie. He didn't recruit him. He wanted to be good with Kyrie. He didn't want to have any enemies. LeBron's not that kind of guy. He didn't want to have league enemies. He didn't recruit him.

By the way, he went to D. Wade, elite defender. LeBron figured this out halfway through his career. I want to be around guys who can defend. So I think it's quite funny. For some reason, it's okay if men are provado. We love Muhammad Ali. I am the greatest. We like Michael Jordan who punched the teammate.

We love when our guys have a little machismo. But man, if a woman, is a little one second sip a tea cocky. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Alex Morgan against England yesterday. Watch this. Horan setting it in there. Oh, she's sipped tea.

And English soccer star Leanne Sanderson was not happy about this at all. I expected Alex to grab a goal, but I'm not that happy with that celebration. You can celebrate however you want, but that for me is a bit distasteful. and I don't think she needs to do that. She can celebrate however she wants, and I'm a big believer in the Americans and how they celebrate, but for me, this was a little bit disrespectful.

I could be wrong, but it's based upon playing against England, and we love our tea in England. I'm not a tea drinker, but, you know, that's what we're connected with. So I'm a little bit, I think it's a little bit distasteful. So England thinks we're a little over the top.

Canadian broadcasters, after we beat Thailand 13-0, remember this, it almost sounds like a Saturday night live skit. If you were going to blow away a team, do it with humility. And they did not. Megan Rapino has scored countless goals on the international stage. She was celebrating like she had her first.

When you're Alex Morgan 2 and you're counting out your goals, it was just unacceptable. Well, I understand there's a goal differential race in this tournament. I understand they're nervous about drawing Sweden later in the tournament. But this was disgraceful from the United States. I would have hoped they could have won with humility and grace. But celebrating goals 8, 9, 10, the way they were doing is really unnecessary. Oh, Lord. Oh, stop. And you know what? This doesn't bother me because I don't care what people think about America. We've got to stop worrying what everybody thinks about it. Canada cares so deeply what people think about them. England cares what their allies think about them. We don't. We're the rich, handsome, talented person that walks into a room. There's just built-in hate. And then when you move here, people criticize us, but, you know, Boy, Canadians spend a lot of money here and vacation here and live here.

And it kind of like us. Let's stop worrying about how this lands. Who cares? It doesn't matter. Tony Blair is a former prime minister of England. And he went on a Charlie Rose show about five years ago, and I was sitting at home watching it. That's how bored I am. And Charlie Rose said, Obama was our president.

And he said, you know, don't you worry about, what do you make of these comments that the ugly American? and Tony Blair said, I wouldn't worry about it. You're America. Like there's a built-in jealousy. Our agriculture, our geographic location, our mountains, our seas, our democracy, our power, our economy, our military. A lot of this stuff is built in. You can't stop apologizing. Don't worry about it.

There are people, I mean, I've heard this before. Tom Brady is arrogant. show me the singular clip in 18 years where he's arrogant. Well, he yelled at Josh McDaniel. That's called sports. Kobe, Michael Jordan yell. You don't call Michael Jordan arrogant. He punched a teammate.

He got coaches fired. Show me the clip where Tom Brady's arrogant. Find the piece of video. If Josh McDaniel's yelling for a second is arrogance, then what's Michael Jordan? What's LeBron used to bump into Eric Spolstra? I don't consider LeBron arrogant or Michael arrogant. or Tom Brady, I consider them to be competitors.

And during games, people get lathered up and worked up, and alpha and ego. This is just nonsense. Soccer scoring is rare. World Cups are even rarer. We let our guys be bravado, and women get hammered because this. Half a second?

Steph Curry pretended to poop on a floor in the NBA, and half the country thought it was hysterical. But, Colin, it's representing the country. So is our president. The same people criticize on this or probably defending him. I'd worry more about that than I would about this. By the way, teams in the World Cup, on average, and again, every four years, twice a decade, on average score 1.4 goals a match.

Nick Wright earlier, rarely do we agree we did on this. This is great. And by the way, the targeted needle celebration. I love even more. I wish more NFL teams would bring this out where you're going after your specific opponent, not just your own little dance move. And I love that we did it to England.

And I know, Colin, your wonderful late mother is British, so I hope you don't take this the wrong way. But England, you've had to hold this L for 240 years. Tomorrow's July 4th in this country. We've been whooping you via sea, via land, and now in your sport, your sport, you've got to hold this L, England. Thank you, Alex Morgan.

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. It's global gamesmanship. It's fun. For the record, you do get in soccer. Landon Donovan, our greatest score, once scored a goal against somebody, and I think like a slip and slide, he went in a 40-foot slide. Josie Altador scored a goal a year ago, took his shirt off. I mean, it's not, it's, I could see if this was outside of the culture of soccer, but they literally celebrate this way for every goal.

I mean, the announcers drag it out. It was just like 15 seconds of screaming the word goal. It makes no sense. The most iconic picture in American soccer history is a young lady after scoring a goal against China. Brandy-Chicine. Pulling a shirt off. That's soccer. This is the culture of it.

You don't score much. And in World Cup play, you know, people celebrate in soccer when you score in division play. It would be like someone getting upset that someone from the U.S. men's national basketball team did Tomahawk dump. during a game. It's the equivalent. This is literally what they do after every single goal. Our dream team beat Angola by 60 and that we were

elbowing players and laughing at them. We were all good with that and celebrated it. Half a second sip and tea drove people nuts. Chris Broussard's around the corner. The very latest. Chris believes Kauai is going to the Lakers at least did yesterday. We'll get the very latest on him and Rob Parker, too. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon

Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo.

Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the trauma, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your host, favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations

with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff,

like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliver Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got him in the game. manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the

lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like. After you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Coming up next, the FIFA Women's World Cup continues as Netherlands battles Sweden in the semifinal showdown. Coverage begins next on FS1 and the Fox Sports app. That will be very interesting. That's very important. We're already in the World Cup final. I'll tell you.

France was good. England's good. We're good. And these two are good. About five teams that were head and shoulders above everybody. And sorry, Canada, you were not one of them. But Canada could get Kauai Leonard and me very happy today. Now, there is a report. There's a plane flying through the sky. Chris Broussard is joining me from L.A.X to Toronto. And the executives for the Raptors are already in Canada. They're already there.

Is Kauai on the plane? What is going on? That's my version of a plane. What is going on? What? I don't know about the meeting with the Raptors. I know that about some of the meetings with the Lakers and the Clippers. He met with the Clippers Monday night and a restaurant and Steve Balmer and Jerry West came in. And it was a dinner with Doc and Sam Cassell and maybe some other assistants. And then Balmer and Jerry West came there.

They made their pitch from what I was told it didn't. It was a good pitch but didn't change Kauai's focus from being on the Lakers. But from what I'm told with the Laker meetings, they were individual meetings. So he was meeting with different people like Jeannie Bus, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, one-on-one, because he wanted to see if all the stories lined up and, you know, it was consistent throughout the organization. Look, Kauai Leonard, people think he's not playing around. That's not why he's delayed this.

He hasn't done this for all the attention. He and his team are very meticulous and smart about this situation. This is fascinating. So with the clippers, they just all met in a room. With the Lakers, he met individually to see if their stories lined up. Well, that's not the only reason, but that was, yeah, that's really they wanted to see. Because of the dysfunction. Right.

When he met with Magic, that was a big thing. Now, I was told that Magic has really, you know, dispelled a lot of their fears about the dysfunction and things like that. Some people have said if Magic were still president, this would be done. you know, he'd already be a Laker. But I think if he doesn't go to the Lakers, which I do think he will do, then it could be a one-year deal, one-in-one with the Raptors,

and he'll want to see about next year maybe with the Lakers. But here's the thing. He grew up, the Lakers were his favorite team, wanting to play for them. Kobe was a hero of his, and now you have the opportunity to do it. It's hard to see him passing that up.

So he loved Colby. He was a Kobe fan. You think Kobe's called him? I don't know because Kobe's so attached to Rob Polinka. And Palinka has not been a huge part of this process. He has not. No. No.

If Kawhi goes there, it'll be, not that he has anything against Palinka, but it'll be like Palinka's not a driving force in this. The two people, Lakers fans should thank the most, if this happens is Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Since 2010, we've had seven different NBA champs. People are freaking out. I still contend, even if they get Kauai, they should be a favorite, but they'll have no bench.

If they don't get Kauai, I don't feel like LeBron A.D. and Kuzmer, a title team. Well, if they don't get Kauai, then it's just wide open. And I'd say they could be as good as the clippers. They could be as good as the Warriors. They could be as the Rockets and the teams in the East. Like, it'll be open. You know what I mean? And so the Lakers will be fine.

Obviously, they'll be tremendous if they get Kauai, but they'll be fine without him because you still have LeBron and AD. You still have two of the top, what, five, seven players in the world. I talked about this to start my show today. I said we see parity as a – we see mobility as a parody killer. It's a parody creator. In college basketball, when we didn't have mobility, UCLA won 10 titles and 12.

years. Right. Okay. Now, players have options because America is the country that demands options, and when you give them to us, we use them. You're right, because in the 80s, in the NBA, which was the golden era, there was no mobility. And you had five teams make the finals. Not just win it, make it. Okay. And about two dominated the league. Right. The Celtics and the Lakers won eight, I believe, of the 10 years. Think about this. Kevin Durant's leaving a dynasty. Jimmy Butler's leaving a better team, Kyrie left LeBron. When you give Americans, especially Americans with talent options, we take it. I said this earlier.

When I go to a grocery store, I'm not a huge milk drinker, but I have literally crossed grocery stores off my list if you don't have multiple milks. I want oat. I want almond. I want, okay. Like in America, I'm demanding options. If you can't give me in your bundle sports, then I won't buy your bundle, your Hulu, your Amazon bundle. So my point is

in the NBA, we're all fearful because these players get together, but they also leave faster than ever. And here's look, the super team arrow, what ends up happening is you get the best of both worlds. It's always great to have

a villain or a dynastic type team. You know, there's somebody that people can love and hate. So you have Miami, you know, you had, you know, the Golden State Warriors. The thing is, those two teams, so we had the team we want to love or hate, which draws, you know, people to the sport.

But then, like you said, you also had competitiveness and parity because I was surprised. I hadn't thought about it, but you're right, seven of the 10 of the teams that have won this decade have been different teams. Yeah. The Miami Heat Super team did not dominate like expected. They won two out of four. They needed a Ray Allen, like a Bobby Thompson home run. They needed a Ray Allen shot to win two.

Right. They really should have won one of four. If you had told me the night LeBron decided he was going to Miami, that they were going to win two of the four next four titles, I would have said, that's it? That would have sounded like a disappointment. Golden State, they won two out of three with Kevin Durant, not three straight.

Entrailed the second year to the Rockets and probably lose until Chris Paul gets hurt. Possibly. The big three in Boston, one title. Right. They never last as long as we think. Like New England is just right. We thought it's the Seahawks dynasty was going to last forever. Then the defense, didn't like the offense, got mad at Pete Carroll.

We thought the Niners with Harbaugh were going to last forever. And then the owner and the GM, these super teams and these young dynasties, there's a lot. Players are richer than ever. There's more social media gassing up. They just break up sooner. And you know what it does too. It creates story.

The NBA is riding off, and this tremendous growth in popularity is based on storylines. I think David Stern, I've said before, he's the greatest commissioner in American sports. I thought he had obstacles in his path that the NFL and Major League Baseball did not have. And the way he grew the NBA was by marketing individuals. Yeah. Okay. That is morphed now in this day and age into storylines. And that is what is driving the NBA.

Everybody's interested in the storyline. Last year was a great season, even though we all felt Golden State was going to win it, because you had all these storylines. And what this movement creates are storyline. So if Kauai goes to the Lakers, that's a tremendous storyline, and everybody's going to be interested in it. And about the time we have fatigue with it, they don't break up. Well, LeBron may be retired.

may retire or, you know, his contract will be up and we'll see what he does next. But yeah, it's... How about this? How about, I will say this, the two teams in this league that I'm just tip of the cap, the Pelicans have literally transformed the franchise in three weeks. Right. And the Utah Jazz, I've got to tell you something, they were already good. they literally solved every problem they had.

Derek Favors was good but expensive. Oh, let's get a cheaper version, Ed Davis. We need a point guard who can shoot. Let's get Mike Conley. We could use another outside shooter, Bogdanovich. And they were good last year. They are, they go eight deep of guys. Would you like to see a Milwaukee, Utah final?

I got to be honest. I ski a lot, so I'm in Utah a lot. I watch a ton of jazz games. I like well. run sports. The jazz are doing, they've had a tremendous summer. I think the jazz, and you might disagree with my other team, Philadelphia. So we got into this thing. They've let go of eight shooters in two years. Now, they'll be the best defensive team in the league.

That goes without question. You know what I think they've done in Philadelphia? So they draft the kid from Washington who can't shoot and they get Horford and they get Embeded. They're just trying to get through Janus. What they're saying is, we know we're going to meet Janice for the next seven years. So Simmons is long and Embed's long. And the kid they drafted out of Washington's long. And Al Horford's big. They're just getting big because they sense it's almost like when Shaq was in the West.

Like Portland's like Arvita Sabonis is your only hope you knew. Well, look, Josh Richardson can shoot. He's not JJ Reddick, but he's a good shooter. He's athletic. Tobias Harris can shoot. not a straight up, knock down shooting, but he can shoot it well. Al Horford can stretch the floor and shoot. And I said for the past two years, you've heard me multiple times,

Ben Simmons and Joel Embedd are not mature enough yet to win big. Now you bring in Al Horford, teach them, show them how to be professional. That solves a lot of their problems. And if I'm Philadelphia, this is the year I'm kind of deciding, okay, can I keep Embed and Simmons together. If Embed is injured again, has intestinal problems again, can't get through the season, essentially healthy, then I have to really look at,

and if I go out early in the playoffs, can I go forward with these two? And if not, Embed might be the one I have to move. Here's the thing about Simmons, too. We all talk about he's got to add the jump shot. What he needs to do as well is stay aggressive. If he plays aggressive all the time and has that mentality, he can largely override his lack of a jumper,

just like he did against Brooklyn. When Jared Dudley called him out, he came out and had 30 points because he was aggressive. If a guy is laying off of me five or six feet and he's back in the paint, if I'm aggressive and I go at him, I can either go past him or over him at 610 or help comes and I'm a great pastor.

I can pick the defense apart that way. So if Simmons stays aggressive, he can override his lack of a, even a jump shot, period. And I think he can buy a little time before he really becomes comfortable shooting. 16 teams in this fan base is in America are energized today with our NBA team. So I think we're in a good spot. Chris Broussard, great seeing you, bud. Joy with the news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Before I tell, just even start the story. What? I want to put a warning out there before I start. I am going to talk about women being paid fairly. You know, it's very triggering, so I have to warn it. I have to warn everyone.

I know it's a thing. Not for anyone up here, but anyone listening out there this is what the story is about. So, U.S. women's team defeated England two to one yesterday in a close match. They're advancing to the 2019 Women's World Cup final, which will be played on Sunday. They'll play the winner of Netherlands and Sweden, who will meet today 3 p.m. Eastern on Fox, so watch that, see who they'll play. Better news, the U.S. Women's National Team jersey is now the best-selling soccer jersey ever on Nike.com outpacing all men's team jerseys. Fanatics also recently released that their sales are up 500% compared to 2015.

Why does this matter? Wow. Yes. So this matters because this comes after the entire women's national team, all 28 members filed another lawsuit in March against U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination. Why? Well, because the last men's World Cup, the men's national team qualified for was in 2014. They went one, two, and one and lost in the round of 16. They earned a total of $5.4 million from U.S. soccer. Obviously, we know they failed to qualify in 2018. The women, on the other hand, won the World Cup in Canada and only received $1.7 million from U.S. soccer. We're also showing a few other numbers on the screen right now. I have a question. So the U.S. Women's National Team, revenue generated was 51 million.

million. Is that in jersey sales? I mean, just overall revenue. Like, I don't have the specific numbers of what that is all coming from. Because I'm about the business. The question becomes, if you have a dominant women's brand. Right. And women's sports generally in America don't generate revenue as a men's brand. But if you have a dominant women's brand, is it worth more than a mediocre men's brand?

And Serena does make more than every American male tennis player. So clearly, if you are, so my takeaway would always be what's the revenue created by both. Right. And if women are, so whatever that revenue means, if a woman's sport is creating greater revenue because of dominance over a mediocre men's team, by all means, Pam Moore. That, that, I have no problem with that. Well, so the average compensation for game for a woman, the U.S. women's player is 5,000 compared to 13,000 for a male player. Right. For the U.S. men's team. So the argument always becomes like, the WMBA. Like, oh, you know, they're arguing to be paid the same as James Harden, which

obviously not. They're just arguing for fair pay. But that's a separate conversation because that's an actual business. Like that is a company. It's a business. This is the national team. Right. So what I would want to know, Joy, is what is the women's U.S. Soccer Federation line up the revenues with the men's soccer federation? So if this revenue ends up in the Soccer Federation, I'm all for it. The argument I've heard years ago, and again, I'm not a soccer revenue expert, was that the men's soccer federation drove much more money

because of the TV contracts than the women's soccer federation did. Now, jersey sales are great, but they're not driving. They're not television ratings, and they're not television numbers. But the bottom line for me is, you can't keep arguing

with the level of success that the women's team has had that there should be some sort of pay disparity. They're the national team and the success level is not even comparable over the past 30 years. So here's what I think the men's soccer team would argue. What did it cost Fox to buy this? Because that money goes to the Soccer Federation for women.

And what did it cost Fox to buy the men's World Cup? And my guess is the men's is way more. Well, of course, because the international viewers that you're going to get for the men's World Cup are tremendous. Whereas compared to the Women's World Cup, where it's, other countries are still developing their soccer programs, it's going to be different. So actually, what makes the men money for the United States men's national team is the Brazilian Argentina. It's the other countries. It's the other countries because then Fox, there gets a bidding war to get, whereas in the, I find myself in the Women's World Cup, there's about four teams I really watch really closely, whereas in the men's there's probably 12 teams I really watch. The bottom line is enough with the pay disparity.

Like they should be paid equally and it really can't be argued against anymore. And just also as a note, moving forward into the future, because the women have been so dominant and representation matters so much, there's going to be a whole new generation of young girls at the top athletes in the country who are going to be playing soccer and continuing this soccer legacy in America because of the visibility and success that the U.S. women's national team has had. So this is only going to continue. By the way, if the men don't qualify for the World Cup, I'm for disbanding the entire organization, frankly. Well, they're playing very good right now, so we've got to give them credit for that. So there's plenty for Zion Williamson to be excited about this offseason, and it seems that the transition to the NBA style of play is one of them. He's used to being the focal point of opposing defenses through high school and college,

but he thinks he'll thrive more in the NBA, given that there'll be a lot more open space. That's what I think. You know, everybody can shoot, so you can't really help off too much otherwise until open three. So, yeah, I love the space in my, it's almost like a dream. come true for me. Say it's time I take the basket to the space to me. This is where he's right. In the college game, the lane is all jammed up.

No, the spacing and the speed and the NBA are a completely different ballgame. But I will say listening to him, I can just hear older players in the NBA just watching that, like, okay, we'll see how much space you have when you come in the lane come in a few months. But I think the Pelicans are going to surprise a lot of people this year. And they just added JJ Redick, which I would have preferred. he'd be on the Lakers squad.

But that's just another shooter that he, if he drives the land against double teams, he can kick out to. We were talking about mobility. Think about desperate and bad the Pelicans looked a month ago and look at them today. They have nine new players and draft picks. Like, that's only because of everything

we fear about player mobility. The ability to resurrect your franchise is you couldn't do this in the 50, 60s, 70s, 80s, 80s, no. And unlike the NFL, where it takes several years, to find all the pieces you need to put together. This can turn around overnight.

They're going to be a fun young team. I love watching. So finally, to Marcus Cousins may have some trouble finding a new NBA home for next season. According to Woge, there's currently no market for Boogie. And according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, Boston has not entertained signing Cousins because of the potential drama that could come with him. And now Mark Stein is reporting this morning that Cousins changed representation to Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, who reps LaMarcus Aldridge

Sham Sharania reported recently that that Boogie has been in contact with DeRosen so the Spurs may be a player in all this but he's not getting the contract offers that he wants. The Boston thing kind of makes sense. I don't think that Boogie is drama anymore. I think that's this kind of a reputation that's just floating with him now.

I mean, he wasn't trouble for Golden State and they have a great culture. So if you have a great culture, I don't think that he would be a problem. I actually think that he would fit with the Spurs because of the last few, I mean, the time that he's spent with Golden State. Yeah, I agree with that. And I do find it odd that there's no market for him.

I mean, I understand the injuries and all that, but it may be just the market is not to his like. The market's tough on big guys. I mean, it's not, you know, the NBA I grew up with, he would have suitors. You can be a pain in the butt guard or wing have suitors and be a fantastic big with a little baggage. and it's a different world. It's really, it's, it's, it's kind of sad for him, though, because he's such an incredible, incredible talent. And these injuries have just been awful,

like in the worst kind of injuries for a big to have, too. So he'll land with someone, obviously, because he is too talented. I do think that Spurs are a player in this. Good stuff, Joy, with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News.

Colli Leonard is in Toronto. he was on that private jet. I have no idea what that means. Could be there to get a box of stuff and go home. Kauai Leonard was on that private jet. Rob Parker around the corner. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games,

from buzzer beaters, to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action, with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own

experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is we have real. conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast,

learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff, like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck. My mama wants you to weigh better. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the Chip. I'm Tab Ramos.

I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team.

And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. the World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Rob Parker is all fired up. He's got a new website, by the way.

This is brilliant called getrobed.com as in Rob Parker. Getrob.com. Check it out of a show all his appearances on all the shows on this network. Get Robb.com. One stop shopping for Rob Parker, and I come bearing gifts. Gifts. Let me see. I'm getting a gift. Thank you. Joy. What is this?

No way, no how. Oh, I got another workout shirt. There you go. No way, no how. Thank you for getting me a small. Yes. A small is that good or no? No, it's perfect. Okay.

People always give me like extra large. And on the site, you could actually buy a t-shirt if you want. Okay, Kauai taking meetings. What do you make of this, Rob? It's interesting because this is what I don't get. I would figure that Kowai. why if all the stories that have come out, the Lakers are his first choice and the Lakers have money and they have two big stars.

What's the hold up? This whole idea of, well, he wants to be nice and he wants to talk. You don't do that. I'm going to take you out a girlfriend who I'm going to break up with to a lobster dinner. I'm not doing that. Hey, babe, it's over. Let's move on. You don't do that.

So I don't understand what the holdup is or why he's hesitating to just pull the trigger on the Lakers. Are you bothered that he's taking them? Are you bothered that he's leaving Toronto? Yeah, I am bothered by that because I thought I thought Kauai was a different guy. And now that I look, if he were to go there, it would basically destroy everything I thought. When he went to Toronto, didn't complain about the roster, they didn't have any lottery picks, right? And he just went up there. He was banished to Canada.

That's what he was. I mean, you could make an argument. He could have pouted. He could have pouted, say, I don't want to be here. Look at this roster. There's no, you know, there's no stars here. And instead, he just dug in, played, won a championship. And now it seems so different from that guy to a guy who now wants to become the villain team.

By joining the Lakers, Kauai, who's a great story, who showed the NBA that you don't need a super team to win a championship, now joins the evil empire. It just doesn't make sense. Won't it validate, though, LeBron's player mobility movement? We all criticized LeBron. He was the first to say, you have the power. Move on your own terms. Kauai will now validate LeBron's business plan.

Would you stop all you guys giving LeBron credit as if he's the normal ray of the NBA players? And like he started this. LeBron's player movement is based on selfishness because he wanted a stack deck. And here's why I'll disprove that. that LeBron created this player knowing what their worth is and deciding their own future? Can we go back to 2000 when Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill signed with Orlando,

and the only reason Tim Duncan didn't go was because they wouldn't let his wife on the planes, the team planes. Otherwise, players have been moving around forever, Colin. LeBron didn't start it from that standpoint. What he did do was mess with the competitive balance of the NBA, and that's why we are where we are now. I still claim to this day he's ruined the NBA. Oh, stop.

He's ruined it. Seven different champs in the last nine years. It just tells you that LeBron and his era wasn't dominant because everybody else ate. But I'm telling you the competitive balance of the league is. Oh, but you love baseball. The Dodgers are going to be in the World Series again against the Yankees. How many times have the Dodgers won the World Series in 32 years? Well, LeBron gets...

Can I say zero? I can go? me to break down the teams in the major leagues that won the World Series. Kansas City, Chicago hadn't won in a hundred years. Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks. Those are good. There are a couple teams, but you know it. I think there's a lot more balance.

College football is the sport with no balance. No, none whatsoever. Bama Clemson will be to get in the national championship. I want to, I want to go to the United States women. I'm on this topic. I love it. Guys can be bravado and puffed their chest. Josie Altador takes off his shirt.

We love it. Who is the woman? Brandy Chastain does it. We're outraged by it. Why do we treat women so differently when they have a little cup of tea and a little arrogance? No, I just, you know what? I'm not against anybody celebrating, but I want everybody to be the same across the board. So when Tio, everybody had a baby, when it was Ocho Cinco, oh, my goodness,

act like you've been there. Baker Mayfield, all these guys. When they do that, even in soccer, they run away. They don't celebrate with their team. They run away to get the camera for themselves. And if it's okay for the women's soccer, which I don't have a problem, then let's let the other guys and the other sports do it without banging on them. And I'm talking about, you know this.

Baker, we've talked about it, Colin. I don't like Baker's a little too showy for me. See, which one is? Who draws the line? Are you to show police all of a sudden? You're going to determine who's show is better? What you don't like about this, forget gender. you don't like how in soccer

the celebration is me running from my teammates and going like this. Yes, that's exactly what it is. That's a me. It's all about me. You're not celebrating with people. I've never thought about that in terms of soccer does do that, don't they?

They do. Joy, no. They kind of do. I mean, that's why it's ridiculous that people are outraged by this celebration because it's literally the culture of soccer. It would be like getting angry that someone from USA basketball dunked.

This is what is part of the game. Yeah, the culture of soccer. is celebratory because there's only 1.4 goals a game. It's so hard to score. And you only play the World Cup twice a decade. You know what the – The announcers do it. Everyone goes over the top when a goal is scored.

The celebration should be like, I'm shocked that somebody scored a goal. I'm shocked. Hey, Ben Simmons contract. How about that? You don't like that? Too much money in the NBA. It's a television. This is where television, because of the contract and the extra money that it got,

when ESPN tripled the television revenue. This is what it is. And you have to give it to somebody. How in the world? 170 million. God bless them. And you're only worth what someone's willing to pay you. But $170 million, you can't even make a jump shot.

I mean, it's just mind-boggling. Well, I could make an argument that Kareem made a lot of money in his day. He couldn't shoot a jumper. We've had a lot of guys who couldn't shoot a jumper. They were called centers. But a nice hook shot. But I mean, but years ago, centers couldn't shoot jumpers. My takeaway on Ben Simmons is we're trying, when you get into a relationship with somebody,

instead of trying to find the perfect partner and change them, I've heard guys complain about, she's trying to change me. And I think it is a legitimate beef. If you like the guy who is a flirt with you, he may flirt with other women. Like, don't try to change people. Stop trying to change Ben Simmons. Elite defender, elite passer, elite body, elite size, elite, he's not a great shooter. You know, Magic was never a great shooter.

No, I get that. I just think that. But Magic never made $170 million. And it's all relative. And I get it because it's out there. And they have to spend it. You see this. A lot of players are making an unbelievable amount of money who just aren't that good.

And some of the great players, they've got to be just... By the way, do my imitation of a plane. This is a wobbly plane in turbulence. Kauai Leonard was on a plane today. It landed in Toronto. Kaui Leonard's in Toronto right now. So he's met with the L.A. teams. I was told he was meeting with the Toronto people in L.A.

now he's meeting with him in Canada. So is he going to basically tell him that I'm out? But again, would you go all the way to Toronto to do that? I would just get on the phone. I'm not coming back. You know, ship my clothes or whatever. I'm not coming back. That's what I would do.

I wouldn't go all the way back to tell people you're not coming. I know. It's weird. Right. Like the furthest place from L.A. and America is Toronto in the NBA. Fly all the way there and say, I'm leaving. I'll be talking about, yeah, Kauai is different. I get it, but that's really different.

If I was not going to break up with somebody and they were in my town, I'd just say, hey, it was great knowing you. All right, we'll figure it out. Rob Parker. By the way, get robbed.com. It's actually cost them nothing. It's amazing. Hour three coming up.

Good to see you, Rob Parker. Always. It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. Tonight, Christian Pulisic leads the U.S. men's national team in a showdown with Jamaica in the Gold Cup semifinals.

All the action kicks off at 9 Eastern on FS1 in the Fox Sports app. We didn't play very well in our last game. Very disappointed. This is all you. You and the cats. Soccer. I've had so much fun watching soccer. But by the way, you know, these,

these meetings. So Kauai has landed in Toronto and he's with a plane and the Canadian television's watching him. Then he gets in an SUV and goes in the highway and the Canadian television. Now people are lined up in front of a building. I'm sure Kauai just loves all this stuff. I will tell you, his meetings in Los Angeles were much more private. This is not private. I'm not sure how this plays with Kauai. This is incredibly public.

Kauai told teams, let's keep this under wraps. Well, Canada's got everything. His flight, his SUV. He's being monitored. I'm not sure how this plays. Chris Brousard earlier told us how secretive Kauai has tried to make his meetings. He met with the Clippers Monday night and a restaurant and Steve Balmer and Jerry West came in.

And from what I was told, it was a good pitch but didn't change Kauai's focus from being on the Lakers. But from what I'm told with the Laker meetings, they were individual meetings. So he was meeting with different people like Jeannie Bus. Magic Johnson, LeBron James, one-on-one, because he wanted to see if all the stories lined up

and, you know, it was consistent. He and his team are very meticulous and smart about this situation. I don't know. If you're Kauai Leonard and you're flight and you're watching Canadian TV when you fly into the country and it's on TV and then you get into an SUV and you're on TV and then you go to a building and there's mobs of people. Do you think it matters at all?

Yes or no? I mean, this is what comes with it. This isn't really Kauai style. Obviously, he's gone to great lengths to be a quiet guy. Like, that's his personality. But if you're going to stay in Toronto, you're going to own a country. So it kind of makes sense that that's what's happening. You know, it's funny.

If Kauai moves to Los Angeles, he, I will just say this. If Kauai doesn't, is turned off by today. the mob scene in Toronto. I've heard this about L.A. for years from professional athletes. They like L.A. because you've got so many pro athletes. They don't stand out. You can just hide in Los Angeles. L.A. is a very unique city.

For those listening or watching that have never been to Los Angeles, it's a very unique city. You can choose like seven different lifestyles. I live by the beach. Joy lives in the valley where it's about 15 degrees warmer, but you get much more space. You can live downtown. You can live Orange County, L.A., which is much more laid back than L.A. County.

You can go up north where Greg lives and you get warmer climates, beautiful mountains, lots of space for animals. L.A. is a very unique place. Like in most cities, you live in the city or in the burbs. And all Cincinnati, you live in the burbs, you live in the city. Los Angeles isn't like that. Celebrities love L.A. because you can hide here. Like there's places in Malibu, the Malibu, the Malibu, Cove where like, you know, the Jen

Aniston crowd, there's places like L.A. understands you want to be hidden. So there's a lot of hills, a lot of topography. You can hide in L.A. And a lot of pro athletes like it. A lot of seven foot guys. You know, Shaq in Orlando was like,

I couldn't go anywhere. And Shaq came to L.A. and he was a huge star. And he just kind of, you can hide in L.A. Kobe hides down in Orange County. I've never seen Kobe out. I've never seen Jared Gough out. I've never seen Todd Gurley out. I've almost never, and I'm at events and I'm all over, I never see him.

So does Kauai, is he comfortable like being Drake and Kauai in the whole country? Like he's just it. He may not like that. It may not matter, but he may not like it. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

I get some more Kauai watch in a second, but let's start with the game yesterday. The U.S. Women's National team earned a spot in their third consecutive World Cup final. Love it. Two one win over England's, an early goal by Kristen Press. Open up the scoring on the day, and Golden Boot leader, Alex Morgan, scored the game winner in the 31st minute to give the U.S. the win. She also celebrated by pretending to sip on a cup of tea and upset England fans and players a little bit. And I don't know, some other people that think that was a little bit too much.

I'm not one of them. She was also celebrating her 30th birthday, so happy birthday to her. There was a lot of talk before the match about Megan Rapino. because she was taken out of the starting lineup for Kristen Press. She was sidelined with what was later reported as a hamstring injury. And after the game, she said, I'm expecting to be fit for the final and ready to go. It's getting better. So hopefully we will see her on Sunday for the final.

Netherlands and Sweden, the pregame is going on right now. They will play at 3 p.m. Eastern on Fox pregame now on FS1. So great game by US Women's National Team yesterday. And I'm very excited for them in the final. And the final is? Sunday. Next Sunday. Not this Sunday.

I believe it's next Sunday, yeah. All right. I just want to make sure. Don't quote me on that. Someone listening will give me an answer. It's this Sunday, yeah. Okay, this Sunday. Exciting game for them yesterday.

I know everyone's kind of upset about the celebration, but the reality is that's just soccer. Yeah, by the way, if you're bothered by the celebration, you really need to stop being offended by everything because it's just not worth one second. You know what's funny that you say that, though, because it's always, the people who are like offended by stuff like this that are the ones that are yelling at everyone else to stop being

offended by something like don't be so PC but carry yourself with dignity young woman like this is this is the actual culture of soccer guys act like maniacs after they score a goal which they should it's an exciting thing to happen it's very rare it's very

very hard to do have you been to a soccer game fans are insane there's no environment like it in any other sport in the world and it is a global soccer game. Like, this is the whole thing. It's the whole point. I'll just do a sip tea. What's more classy than sipping tea? That goal changes economies. I mean,

at Fox Sports, we would have lost probably 10 to 15 million if USA loses. Like, these are commerce changing goals. Honestly. For countries, they're, I mean, remember when, like, was it Iceland or somebody got into the World Cup for the men and they won like a match in the World Cup?

And it was like, it just changed the whole federation of their soccer history. Yes. So, we were just talking about Kauai. Kauai's camp warned teams pursuing him to do everything they can to keep details of the meeting silent. Well, Toronto is doing a very bad job of that.

If they did keep it silent, somebody got it out. Some info about his talks with Magic got out. There's also been some details leaked about the Clippers meeting. And now he has just landed in Toronto as you reported earlier. And they are following. They have an aerial shot of the plane

landing. This is all on television in Canada right now. So it's basically like a car chase. That's like a golf stream. That's a big private jet. That is a big plane. So they have him getting off the plane and getting into SUVs. Then they follow him down the highway in the SUVs. And now there is a crowd outside of the hotel where they are having the meeting. I don't know if this helps Toronto in any way, being that he has asked them to keep the meeting silence or info from the meeting silent. I mean, you can't control everything, right? Like maybe someone on the plane text somebody or maybe someone saw him pulling up to the, you know, the private airport.

Who knows how this got out? And then the information just followed. But this is what's going to happen. Like this is, this is actually the point. It's actually pretty revealing that they're doing all this because if he stays in Toronto, he is going to be at the moment the biggest athlete in Canadian sports, like the country. Not even close. Not just like if he comes to LA, he's not even the most important Laker. Like there's a huge disparity in this decision. If you want to hide, go be a Laker.

If you, if you, you go to Toronto and you go to the Clippers, you are the man. The guy. You can kind of hide with the Lakers. I mean, I've always found it fascinating. Kobe Bryant and Mike Trout's the best baseball player in America. Mike Trout hides

in Los Angeles. I mean, you can hide here. Jared Gough, is the quarterback for the L.A. Rams. I've never seen anywhere. Nobody I know has ever seen him at any store, at any event. Right. They're invisible. Who could possibly come just to Los Angeles and cause a crowd like that these days? You know, there's an old saying, Bill Murray, the actor has an old saying. People he goes, always want fame and fortune. He goes, try the fame, try the fortune. That'll be enough. Yes. Like the fame part gets old really fast.

It's unbelievably stressful. So if you want to hide Kauai, Lakers a great hiding spot. So finally, Jared Dudley disagreed to a one-year $2.6 million deal to join LeBron Anthony Davis and the Lakers. And he's already making some bold comparisons when asked about the effect that Kauai Leonard would have on choosing the Lakers. It compares to the heat, but a little bit more on steroids. And the reason why I say that is because you arguably have three of the top five best players. And so I think that Wade and Bron were considered. I think boss was a little bit of the outs. Now, if the Lakers get Kauai, like, yes, you're right there.

You have all the talent. I think it's good for the league when it comes to the revenue. You need the Lakers and Knicks good. Obviously, the Knicks couldn't get it done. So we'll see if, you know, what Kauai decides, man, but it's just better for the league. I agree with him in that you do need a villain. I believe that for stories, you have to have good guy and a bad guy, even if a bad guy isn't really the actual bad guy. Because it creates conversation.

It's polarizing. It creates debate. It gets fans interested and it drums up rivalries. And right now, if Kauai goes to Toronto or to the Clippers, who's the bad guy? Hey, when Mike Tyson left, the heavyweight division got real quiet for a decade. He wasn't the world's best human being at the time. But villains are good for sports. They always have been and they always were.

They're good for all, frankly, they're good for all television. They're good for movies. In Hollywood, they draw up, you know, conflict. Good guy, bad guy. That's how you'd make movies. Say a little to the bad guy. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. Jared Dudley, friend of the show, 12 years in the NBA. It was years ago, the ACC player of the year, just signed a one-year deal with the Lakers, 2.6 large. And Jared Dudley is joining us as the newest Lakers. So let's Jared start with this. What were the factors that led to you to your decision to come to the Lakers?

Well, you know, first it teams kind of want you. It was basically a three-team race to Detroit, Brooklyn, the Lakers. And for me, it's opportunity. I know, obviously, Kevin Durant, style of Brooklyn. I just saw the opportunity starting first. You know, people tell about LeBron James, but it was huge with Anthony Davis. That was a huge one of my decisions because I think people forget, you know, kind of like Kauai last year when he was, when he was hurt, how talented he was and through the trade rumors, man, at one point in time, they were talking like Anthony Davis being the best, if not the second best player in the league. And I think people have forgotten. I think this year's

and remind him. So definitely humbled and thankful for him to want me to be a teammate. I know that his influence is huge, and I'm definitely happy. Well, it's interesting. LeBron's played with Bosch and Kevin Love, and he's always played well with shooters. You're a big guard or a small forward. You're a shooter. And so you'll work with him fine. His career is shooters work with LeBron. Bigs have not always been a perfect fit. How do you think LeBron and AD fit together? I think very well because you have to think about this. The game has changed even since LeBron was in Miami.

Obviously, Kevin Love had it because this is the different big he's ever had. I mean, let's be honest. Anthony Davis has guard skills. He can shoot the three. He can score one-on-one dominant. In my mind, he's the first option. Anthony Davis is going to be the future of the NBA's next four or five years. Yes, you have John it.

But I'm telling you how big of the season. So I think LeBron, I'm not going to say take a step back, but you reflect on what this team need. team needs Anthony Davis to be the number one scoring option. Kauai comes in 1A, 1B when it comes to that. But when you hit your later part of the career, you know, Colin, you've been all over it. You kind of

reflect and know what you have to do to finish it up. Now, Kauai could be added to this. That's a lot of mouse to feed. You know, you've been on a lot of teams and talented teams. Could I just say this, the team will be top heavy because of all the money on the top players, and there won't be enough to fortify the bench. I mean, does that worry you at all?

It doesn't worry me because that's when you get veterans out, like myself, you heard rumors about Ingrid Dala possibly. But guys will buyout, guys that want to sacrifice. You still have guards out like Razor and Rondo, guys that have been an elite level. So, yeah, if you want to use the word top NBA, you can do that. Because obviously, any of these times you have three guys that have probably arguably top five in the NBA. But, I mean, trust me, it's going to be easy to find guys that shoot. It's finding guys that right high IQ, making the right play for these three guys,

potentially. Obviously, you don't know, even if it's not. Those two top guys, let them be able to work and give them space to operate. You know, you were in Brooklyn, and, you know, they just landed DeAndre Jordan, Kyrie, and Kevin Durant. I don't know if you'll be comfortable saying this, but did you know before everybody else they were coming? New pieball a couple of days before. I wasn't, I wasn't like weeks before. I knew they were contemplating it. It was a three-packaged deal of all three of them. You know, obviously they had their conversations. of that. I know obviously the Knicks were somewhat involved because I actually DeAndre played for them and got their voice his experience of that front office and that his excitement. And then obviously I had conversations with him. But, you know, they've been working on it for a while, man. I mean, everyone knows. Just like how we talked about a year before, players talk about it, man. This is a talking communication league and these guys want to team up and guys want to play with each other. Do you think it'll work there? I mean, you played in Brooklyn. They don't get the press that the Knicks do. The New York media tends to leave you a little more alone in Brooklyn. Is that, is that a help for this potential group? I think that's definitely a help. I mean, I think with Tyree and the

Duran's personality, I think it only could be a positive. I think that the notion that the Nix will have the headlines compared to like the Lakers and Clippers. I think it's going to be false, especially when Durant comes back. I think it could be 50-50, even while Kyle is there, but once Durant comes, it's going to be on fire there. Kind of like the Miami Heat, when they had got together. I just think that the potential. Kenny Ekinson's a phenomenal coach. Shaw marks, as you can, as you talk on your show, well, he's done having no first round draft for two, three years, accumulating talent and getting to the playoffs. They're definitely on the up, and I expect him to take over New York here the next two to years.

DeAngelo, you played with him, and by the way, he had a bad rep, and then this year in Brooklyn, everybody liked him. Has he grown up? What did you make of the transformation? Oh, man, for sure. Just think about it, Colin. I mean, how many things would you kickback that you did stupid in college. I mean, I know I could take two or three. I mean, let's be honest. I mean, I know we live in the social media. People make mistakes.

Some are stupider than others. Let's be honest. I mean, have a Baker Mayfield when he was, the DUI he had, remember drinking he had. He made a mistake. And I think that you see not only his maturity, man, his hard work. That boy busted his butt all summer. He stayed in New York the whole time, working out with the team, working on his individuals.

When I got there, you heard about his reputation. It was totally false. He worked on his butt. He got into the film room. He just wanted to get better. It's going to be interesting to see the fit. I'm just happy he got the max contract. You know, you're a student of basketball.

You'll probably transfer into broadcasting after it. You certainly could. And when you look at Kawhi Leonard, I see he's in Toronto today. And the Canadian TV's got his jet and his suburban and his meeting. It's all televised. And, you know, he's such a unique individual. Would you be shocked if he stayed in Toronto? No.

I mean, if anything, the odds, I mean, history shows you when you win a championship, you stay. I know that we're different now. The times have changed. And being from L.A., and you have two L.A. teams, you know, are both good, both on the uprise and both here in your home that you could choose from. So I know it's a tough decision. But at the end of the day, they won a championship. He grew up a Laker fan, the history.

Now you have two Future Hall of Famers right here that he could be. play with. You have, you know, arguably, I said last night, the best, most loyal fans, you know, since I've been a Laker, I mean, my social media has been blowing up like it's never had before in my whole 11 years of my career. So what is he looking for? I wouldn't be shocked, but I also wouldn't be shocked if he showed the purple and gold. Do you think, like, LeBron and Anthony Davis are actively recruiting him? Like, some guys don't want to recruit, right? Like, I've heard, like, certain guys in the NBA are not recruiters. You tend to be a very communicative, verbal guy. You'd probably be a great recruiter. Do you think LeBron...

I mean, top five. I'd be top five recruiter. No, I mean, I can't speak from LeBron, but I would hope so. I mean, I would hope so. I mean, would you, if you're joining a franchise and you're changing your life moving your family somewhere, wouldn't you want the players, the organization owner, GM to make a phone call,

reach out, let's talk about it? I mean, I would think it's a very important decision. It's like any person that changes jobs. You're going to talk about it with your wife, your kids, you're going to talk about it, maybe with your father, to make a phone call. So for LeBron, you would think some sort of communication has been made. Anthony Davis is being involved, man. I mean, I think people tend to forget about him that.

This man has got a voice. You see how he wanted to change his legacy and being more vocal of where you want to be, man, the empowerment Anthony Davis is going to have, man. It's going to be hugely his lead. You know, it's funny. KD. is going to take a little less money that he could have made. Jimmy Butler's going to take an extra year. In Philadelphia, he could have made more.

A lot of these NBA stars, I mean, if Kauai left, he'd leave 50 million guaranteed on the table. I would have a hard time leaving 50 million guaranteed. But I keep watching all these stars make little financial sacrifices. Explain that to me. Now, now here's the thing. Like how much of a financial sacrifice if you get it up in the back end? So Kauai signed a one-in-one and they got his 10 years of service and ended up finding a five-year deal. Is it really $50 million?

It ended up being $15 million. So I'm with you on that. When you look at your, you know, we all have financial advisors. You look at your portfolio and you see, hey, someone like, you know, a superstar has two, 300 million. He's made. You have 100 million possibly in the bank. Are you going to look back in life and say, yeah, I could have had 140. But overall, I added a couple championships.

My legacy. I went to a franchise that for the rest of my life. You see what James Worthy's done, Magic Johnson. Come on, man. We talk about Magic Johnson, 30, 40 years from him playing. You talk about Karema, Doja, Bar, Shaquille O'Neal. History goes with guys. guys that don't have history, they will fade out.

All said and done. You think Kauai's choosing the Lakers? Do you have any inside information? No. No inside information. I just think that, I think that, you know, when it comes to being from L.A. and wanting to be home, and when you're a kid growing up, no one thought about the Clippers. I had no disrespect to them.

Great organization. Everyone's a Laker fan. San Diego, all the way up to all the things. the Northern California, people are Lakers fans, and this is an opportunity to build your legacy in history. It'll be a different legacy, but it's something that, you know, Lakers are not making the playoffs. You can build something here, and you've done something in San Antonio,

you've done something in Toronto, and now can come home. When do you think he makes his mind up? I'm hoping at the Fourth of July, man, everybody's trying to have a little fun. It's not going to be on my phone, Fourth of July, like Durant a couple years ago. I'm hoping to meet with Toronto, give himself, you know, in a tonight. let's hopefully have some fireworks tonight. Yeah.

All right. So I follow you on Twitter. You follow me. Would you slide into my DMs if you hear anything? That'd be nice. Nah, no, no, man. I'm a Laker, man. We got strictly business.

Jared Dudley. It's great talking to you, buddy. Appreciate you, man. All right. Jared Dudley. He thinks he's going to be a Laker, though. That was a pretty distinct answer. Very exciting.

exciting. Very exciting. I think he probably tells everyone tomorrow. Because I can't, I'm taking the fifth off. I came back for the Anthony Davis deal. I can't, I already got stuff planned. Well, you know, we can't all live our lives around Kauai right now. But I, I mean, he's having his last meeting right now, right? So it can't be that much longer. What new information did you get other than the fact that the entire country of Canada is going to follow you everywhere? Crazy. All right. Best for last next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app.

Go further than ever with a Discover at Miles card. They automatically match miles you earn at the end of your first year. Discover match for new card members only. Learn more at discover.com slash travel. So it's time for best for last. After almost three hours, Colin apparently hasn't gotten to the point yet. Quit holding out on us, cowherd. It's the best for last. So if Kauai makes his decision tomorrow, the NBA business, Friday is the start of the summer league.

So they just pick up where they left off. Opening days sold out. earliest ever. Why, Zion? Zion also shattered all the records for most jerseys sold by any draftee. And it got me thinking I think they could have sold more. But, and I'm going to present today, five changes in sports that I think not only should happen, but I think eventually they will happen.

So number one, allow NBA players to put their first names on the back of jerseys. instead of Williamson, which is kind of random, there's been a lot of Williamson's, put Zion. Don't you think that sells more jerseys? Instead of James, I'm sure there's been 20 guys named James, have LeBron. You don't think you would have sold more jerseys with magic instead of Johnson? In the end, the NBA's done this for individual days,

but this league has been smart and progressive, especially with merchandising. This is a no-brainer. Zion is going to sell a lot more jerseys globally than Williamson. Number two, can we go back to a three-game series in the first round of the playoffs? Urgency equals ratings. Ratings equals greater TV contracts. In 2003, the NBA went to a seven-game series.

the higher seat is won 79% of the time. In a five-game series, the higher seat is won 77% of the time. This year in the eight first round series, the losing teams won nine games. College basketball, a far inferior product, beats the NBA playoffs often because of urgency. What if Duke loses? Okay. They usually don't early, but if they did, hopefully Kentucky didn't. Number three, the NFL will eliminate the coin toss in overtime.

It's too arbitrary. Remember this last year when aFC championship, Patriots won the coin toss, scored, beat the chiefs. I have two solutions here. Number one, which I've written about in my book, Road Team gets the ball first. If you can't win, football's set up for the home team. You can't even audible sometimes on the road. If I get 13 possessions and can't beat you at my place, you get the option to get the ball first. or think about this.

We all like strategy. The team that didn't have the ball last in regulation gets it in overtime, forcing the team that has the ball last in regulation to try to score. You get it with 40 seconds left. There's no knee because you're not getting in an overtime. Eliminate the coin toss. There's too much money in this business for my thumb and a piece of metal to decide who wins games. Number four, this is.

tedious. Can we get out of all these out-of-conference games in college football? Alabama's four out-of-conference games are Duke, New Mexico State, Southern Miss, and Western Carolina. Do better. You're charging fans more money to go to games. Those games are over eight minutes in. You know, those are tough schedules for viewers. And I'm going to stop picking on Alabama. One out-of-conference game and then get in the conference play. It's such bad business. Because the NFL doesn't really heat up until the end of September. You own September. Labor Day is a college football weekend.

NFL doesn't even start until the week after Labor Day. There should be 15 great games in the first two to three weekends. Just from a business standpoint. Well, we got to get practice ready. Really? I've seen Alabama generally opens the season, usually against good teams. They're fine. You don't need five, six, seven games to get warmed up.

you get one against Panera bread, then get into conference play. And finally, boxing scores visible during the fight. Okay, between Fox Sports and DeZone and my former employer, $400 million was invested in boxing in the last couple years. Let's get the transparency, the mystery, the enigma out of it. I mean, why does it have to be so secretive? You know, you're picking the winner of a boxing match, not selecting the Pope here. Let's let everybody play along so you don't have these, you know, Vegas already has, and I love Vegas, but Vegas is already a little covert.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? You have these boxing matches in Vegas, and you're just begging for conspiracy theories when suddenly a guy who appeared to win loses a fight. It's less shady, transparency is good. And by the way, I think sports is always better when you let viewers play along. And it lets the crowd know who's winning. Who's in no sport do we hide the score until the very end? There's no value in that.

So good to have you in. Update on Kauai Leonard. He has not made a choice yet. He has not made a choice yet. But when he does choose, if he does choose to leave Toronto, you guys were all crushing LeBron James, you know. Yeah, Jared Dudley thinks he's going to be a Laker.

So the first person that starts any trend always gets bashed. I mean, Billy Bean Moneyball was mocked. Now everybody's doing analytics. And I mean, load management, by the way. Everybody ripped the Greg Popovich years ago for load management, Kauai. Now Kauai admits, yeah, that's why I was healthy in one. Rupert Murdoch got a lot of heat when he said, we're going to have a cable news venture that goes kind of one-sided.

Like, we're going to do conservative policy. Now you can't get a number on cable politics without taking a side. You got to go left, you've got to go right. If you're in the middle, you're called out of business. So anybody that starts a trend gets tons of blowback. And LeBron kind of helps start this trend of player mobility and gets blowback. Now you're kind of laughed at if you don't go to be. better teams. People look at you like, like Paul George chose Oklahoma City. It was like,

what are you doing? So, all right, let's everybody raise your hands. Goulae. Where do you think Kauai goes? I'll go Lakers. Tui. I'm going to go Raptors. Joy. I was thinking it was going to be the Raptors, but I'm kind of, I'm kind of leaning towards Lakers now, too. I'm leaning Lakers. Lakers won Raptors, too. There's one thing, though. The only meeting that has not created any noise, which what Kauai wanted was with the Clippers. We heard about the Lakers meeting. We now are hearing about Toronto's meeting.

I've not heard anything about the Clippers meeting. The only thing that I heard about the Clippers meeting was that his uncle was very impressed with the meat and cheese platter that they had set out in the meeting. There were a lot of sauces. Let me tell you something. If you ever recruit me and you do a meat and cheese platter, game changing. Yes. I mean, honestly, that's all I eat all day.

Meat and cheese platters? I mean, some version of meat or cheese is pretty much what I survive on. Do you know when my wife left? I had sushi three nights in a row. I came home. My cats followed me around the house. I just smelled like fish. I have been eating.

My wife is... Have you at least been going to a different place? Yeah. It's just, I just go get fish. In fact, tonight I'm going to have more fish. I live by the ocean. They're like... I mean, yeah, that's the part.

I can see what I'm eating an hour before I eat. It's right out there. All right. Fourth of July tomorrow, Kauai, get to it, babe. We got a show. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlics on the IHeart Radio,

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office. Blue with 42. Hey, Red. My mama want you to weigh better.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano.

It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven,

Markeep coming to, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.